UK NEWS
NOW THE BIG FIGHT BEGINS FOR BROWN
WIN: Conservative candidate Edward Timpson with wife Julia at Nantwich Civic Hall
By Gabriel Milland & Emily Garnham
GORDON BROWN is facing the biggest test of his leadership today after a crushing Tory victory in one of the hardest fought by-elections since Labour came to power.
Voters in Crewe and Nantwich sent a message to Labour that the
Government is failing them on tax, the economy, crime and immigration after the Tories won their first by-election gain in 26 years.
Tory candidate Edward Timpson triumphed with a majority of almost 7,860, overturning a 7,000 Labour majority to take the by-election with a massive 17.6 per cent swing.
A jubilant David Cameron said it was a “remarkable victory” that marked the “end of New Labour”.
He vowed that he would not betray the trust of the thousands of voters who turned out to vote Conservative for the first time.
En route to Crewe this morning, Mr Cameron told reporters: “Just like
in the local elections, just like in the London mayoralty election,
thousands of people came to vote for the Conservative Party for the
first time and my message to those people is ’We will not let you
down’."
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Timpson is congratulated by Labour candidate Tamsin Dunwoody
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The opposition leader said Labour had paid the price for running a
“backward-looking and divisive” campaign, which focused heavily on Mr
Timpson’s background, attacking him as a “toff”.
“It was in many ways the end of New Labour. I think it was a great mistake,” he said.
He added that he would now work to put together a “broad coalition” to oust the Labour Government and secure a return to power for the Tories at the next general election.
*** READ PATRICK O'FYLNN'S LATEST BLOG - HIGHWAYMAN BROWN: EVERY MOTORIST'S WORST NIGHTMARE! ***
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I don’t know a single MP who is confident in Gordon’s ability to get us out of this.
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Shadow chancellor George Osborne said Labour had resorted to “personal class war attacks” and “dog whistle” politics on immigration in a desperate attempt to avoid another devastating reverse after their drubbing in the May 1 local elections.
“There is a new ’nasty party’ in British politics and it is the Labour Party,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman said people had used the vote to register their concerns about the economy, amid rising food and fuel prices.
“I think that is the message to us very loud and clear,” she told the press.
“Our response will be to listen to people’s concerns, to recognise that people are worried about their prospects for the future and to act on their concerns to re-double our efforts.”
Last night Labour sources were trying to play down the scale of the catastrophe facing them by claiming that anything smaller than a 1,000-strong win for the Tories would mean Mr Brown had done relatively well.
But the crushing Labour defeat is expected to increase speculation that a former minister such as Charles Clarke or Alan Milburn could launch a “stalking horse” leadership challenge this autumn – or even that Mr Brown could himself quit.
Yesterday’s contest was caused by the death of veteran Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody last month.
She won by a 7,078 majority in 2005 in a seat that Labour has held since the Second World War and is 165th on the Tories’ list of target seats. Labour selected her 49-year-old daughter Tamsin as its candidate.
But expectations for the Tories were so high prior to the results last night that experts set the bar for a “really good result” for them at a majority of 4,000. A smaller win – something senior Tories thought unlikely – would be just an “OK result”, according to the PoliticsHome website.
One bookmaker was so confident of a Tory victory it started paying out on bets yesterday morning – before most people had voted. Turnout was estimated at around 60 per cent.
Rising prices and falling living standards were of most concern on the streets of the constituency yesterday. Retired coalman Patrick Sutton, 60, said: “Last week I spent £38 on groceries. For the same shopping basket this week it was £42.”
Taxi driver Terry Clorley, 63, said: “I have to pay £20 or £30 more a week for diesel to do the same work I did six months ago.”
*** INFLATION WATCH: SEE THE DAILY EXPRESS COST OF LIVING INDEX ***
The Tories plan to capitalise on their current success by calling an early by-election in Henley, Oxon – the safe seat due to be vacated by Boris Johnson, the new London Mayor. June 26 and July 3 are being pencilled in.
RESULTS IN FULL
Edward Timpson (C) 20,539
Tamsin Dunwoody (Lab) 12,679
Elizabeth Shenton (LD) 6,040
Mike Nattrass (UKIP) 922
Robert Smith (Green) 359
David Roberts (Eng Dem) 275
The Flying Brick (Loony) 236
Mark Walklate (ND) 217
Paul Thorogood (CTDP) 118
Gemma Garrett (ND) 113
Video 
HUG A HOODIE
24.05.08, 1:02pm
Your post is spot on. There seems to be only one option left, revolution, and I am not joking. Its the only way we are going to get our Country back. All three main parties are pro european and have no intention of withdrawing from it. Politicians are supposed to be OUR representives, but they do not, at all.
There is no one to vote for! We have always lived in hope that a political party will come along and do what is right for the people. In two years time, David Cameron will get in power, and it will be a re-run of what we are putting up with now, but with different brush strokes.
• Posted by: fireowl • Report Comment
WHAT BRITAIN NEEDS IS A GOVERNMENT WHO WILL "BAT FOR BRITAIN"
24.05.08, 10:39am
After 11 years of absolute incompetence in running this once Great Country AND ITS ECONOMY, there is only ONE real answer left for the electorate to consider and that is :-
ACT NOW CUT OUT THIS CANCEROUS GROWTH CALLED NEW LABOUR BEFORE THE SHIP SINKS ALTOGETHER UNDER THE WEIGHT OF MASS UNCONTROLLED IMMIGRATION.
• Posted by: EmperorMing • Report Comment
WHAT SHORT LITTLE MEMORIES WE HAVE.
24.05.08, 10:09am
The writings on the wall for these useless Nu Labour,Pc,corrupt,thieves.Soon they will be leaving office,but not soon enough.Its at least another two years before they will dare call an election.They will hang on,as Johnny Major did from1995-97, in the vain hope something will turn up.But you can be pretty sure come 2010 they will be out.But you can be sure also that they will be gorging themselves at the trough in Westminster as much as possible over this time and will move heaven and earth to bring in masses of immigrants and waste as much money as possble and impose upon us as much control from EU as possible.But looking forward to 2010,is Cameron going to be just another Blair?All the evidence so far points to this being the case.Have folk so easily forgotten the sleeze,incompetence,eu mania,PC during the Major years?Look at the corruption that is going on among them now.When it comes to lining their pockets the Cons are just as bad as NU Labour.Do you want just a set of new faces in power who are just as useless and just as corrupt as the present shower?If you doubt this just look at the claims for expenses made by Cameron and Osborne alone.Thats why they are so shy about challenging NU Labour about corruption in Parliament.Do you want a continuation of the same policies that we have been force fed during the past 11 years?You don`t I expect.So please do tell me in what major areas of policy is Cameron pledged to reverse the changes made by Nu Labour especially in relation to crime,Eu,immigration,law and order,welfare,pensions,education,the family and so on?I will tell you.He has made none,none whatsoever.He waffels a lot about `modernising` and being `tolerent` and `inclusive` and `green`.But he never makes any firm commitments.In fact he sounds almost a repeat of Blair from 1995-97.I make this prediction-if Cameron becomes PM just a few months into office(like Brown) people will be asking themselves why they voted for him.By 2015 voters will not be wondering who they can vote for as Cameron will be just as discredited as Nu Labour.
• Posted by: hugahoodie • Report Comment
WHAT SHORT LITTLE MEMORIES WE HAVE.
24.05.08, 10:08am
The writings on the wall for these useless Nu Labour,Pc,corrupt,thieves.Soon they will be leaving office,but not soon enough.Its at least another two years before they will dare call an election.They will hang on,as Johnny Major did from1995-97, in the vain hope something will turn up.But you can be pretty sure come 2010 they will be out.But you can be sure also that they will be gorging themselves at the trough in Westminster as much as possible over this time and will move heaven and earth to bring in masses of immigrants and waste as much money as possble and impose upon us as much control from EU as possible.But looking forward to 2010,is Cameron going to be just another Blair?All the evidence so far points to this being the case.Have folk so easily forgotten the sleeze,incompetence,eu mania,PC during the Major years?Look at the corruption that is going on among them now.When it comes to lining their pockets the Cons are just as bad as NU Labour.Do you want just a set of new faces in power who are just as useless and just as corrupt as the present shower?If you doubt this just look at the claims for expenses made by Cameron and Osborne alone.Thats why they are so shy about challenging NU Labour about corruption in Parliament.Do you want a continuation of the same policies that we have been force fed during the past 11 years?You don`t I expect.So please do tell me in what major areas of policy is Cameron pledged to reverse the changes made by Nu Labour especially in relation to crime,Eu,immigration,law and order,welfare,pensions,education,the family and so on?I will tell you.He has made none,none whatsoever.He waffels a lot about `modernising` and being `tolerent` and `inclusive` and `green`.But he never makes any firm commitments.In fact he sounds almost a repeat of Blair from 1995-97.I make this prediction-if Cameron becomes PM just a few months into office(like Brown) people will be asking themselves why they voted for him.By 2015 voters will not be wondering who they can vote for as Cameron will be just as discredited as Nu Labour.
• Posted by: hugahoodie • Report Comment
THE TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION ...
24.05.08, 9:47am
12679 people still voted for labour ... of course they did,it was in their own selfish interest,they would have something to gain or keep like a sham council job ???
Justice will be done when the Russians take over and kill everyone in authority including newspaper editors... who would believe that...Nu Labour are ultimately responsible for the deaths of half the countries population. ! thats got to worth a huge bonus.
• Posted by: Moronamid • Report Comment
NOW THE BIG FIGHT BEGINS FOR BROWN
24.05.08, 9:25am
While this vile creature tries in vain to save his own miserable neck, he and his cohorts are blissfully unaware of, and as usual, completely ignoring, the plight of us, their EMPLOYERS.
Their only aim is to save themselves, and to hell with the rest of us.
I sometimes catch snippets of PMQ, and find that whilst Cameron is quite polite and gracious toward the slimy brown toad, the toad reciprocates by being bolshy, rude and arrogant.
He is a nasty piece of work, that's for sure.
• Posted by: BoggyDepot • Report Comment
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